Japan 2012 crude imports from Iran fall 39.5 pct

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Last Updated: Thu, Jan 31, 2013 05:38 hrs

Japan's crude oil imports from Iran in 2012 fell 39.5 percent, trade ministry data showed on Thursday, in line with falls from other Asian buyers as Western sanctions cut shipments to Japanese refiners from the Middle Eastern country.

Japan, the world's third-biggest oil consumer, imported 11 million kilolitres (189,038 barrels per day) of Iranian crude last year, compared with 18.19 million kl (313,480 bpd) a year earlier, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said.

In December, Iranian imports totalled 1.03 million kl (208,984 bpd), down 36.9 percent from 1.635 million kl (331,736 bpd) a year earlier.